Hame-fastener



(No Model.)

HAME FASTENER.

No. 562,848. Pateted June v30, 1896.

ARMI* l. GRAHAM. m0411119 WMM K GTI!"A DAC.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

OLE C. OLSEN, OF JACKSON JUNCTION, IOWA.

HAME-FASTENER.

SPECIFICATION forming part f Letters Patent No. 562,848, dated June 30,1896.

Applicativi; filed September 3D, 1895. SerialNo. 564,06 3. (No model.)

.To all whom t may concern.:

Be it known that I, OLE C. OLSEN, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, residing at Jackson Junction, in the county ot Tinneshiek andState of Iowa, have invented a new and useful Improvement inHams-Fasteners, of which the following is a specification.

My object is to prevent the accidental unlocking incident to the use ofhaine-fasteners of that class represented by the Patent No. 37 7 ,671,issued February 7, 1838.

Heretofore gravity-dogs and spring-actuated hooks have been combinedwith the end of a metal strap to engage the end of an ad? j ust-ablemating strap for the purpose of locking them together in aclosedposition as required to retain the ends of the haines connected on acollar; but in all instances provision has been made to unlock themating parts by pressure upon some'portion of the device projectingoutward relative to the metal-straps, and it frequently occurs that suchprojection comes in contact with some extraneous object and by motion ofsuch ohject or the motion of a horse relative to a fixed post or otherobject will actuate the fastening device and unlock the fastener, andthereby loosen the hames on a collar.

My object is to prevent such accidental unfastening of the haines; andmy invention consists in the locking device hereinafter set forth, thatwill securely retain the hames fastened together, so that they can bereadily unfastened by lnger-pressure, but not accidentally by the actionof the horse or the motion of an extraneous object that may come incontact with my haine-fastener when in practical use on a horse.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure lis a perspective view of the mainmetal strap with which all the other parts are to be adjust-ablyconnected. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the mating strap adapted tobe adjustably connected with the main strap and automatically lockedthereto when pressed into a closed position. Fig. 3 is a view of aslotted lever adapted to be adjustably connected with the metal straps.Fig. e is a perspective view of a latch and spring adapt ed to beinclosed and pivotally connected with the hook on the end of the mainmetal strap. Fig. 5 shows the ends of the two mating metal straps inclosed and locked position and parts broken away to disclose the latchand spring and the overlaying of parts ot the 5 5 mating straps. Fig. Gis a view showing the complete device in position as required to retainhames fastened together on a collar.

The letter A designates the main metal strap, and A2 the mating strap,adapted to be 6o pivoted to one end of the strap A and detachably lockedto the other end thereof.

A3 is a slotted lever adjustably connected with the strap A, as clearlyshown in Fig. 5.

Bis a hook on the end of the strap A, adapted to admit the loop on theend of a haine. The free end of the hook is bifurcated and thetopsurfaces of the extremities O are depressed and adapted to beoverlaid by corresponding projections CZ on the free end of 7o themating strap A2 in such a manner as to produce an even surface of thedetaehablyconnected ends of the parts A and A2, and, as required, toprevent any extraneous object from catching on the said end portion ofthe hookB or the overlying end portions of the part A2.

f is a tongue projecting downward from the end portion of the part A2 insuch a manner that it will engage the shoulder of a latch h, 8o pivotedin the end portion of the strap A, as clearly shown in Fig. 5.

The top or free end of the latch h projects between the parallelportions of the bifur cated end of the hook B, and a projection h on thelower end of the latch engages the inner face of the strap A, as shownin Fig. 5, and as required to restrict the forward inotion of the latchrelative to the part A2 and its tongue f, that is engaged by theshoulder 9o h" of the latch. The top end of the latch that projectsbetween the overlying parts c c and el d is serrated, so a person can,by pressing thereon with the thumb, readily release the latch from thetongue f as required to unlock the two mating straps and to free thehames from the collar.

7c is a spring made of a single piece of wire doubled at its center andeach of the parallel parts provided with one or more coils lo in roosuch a manner that the spring can be readily fastened to the latch h bymeans of a pin m, extended through a hole in the latch, and that has aloop 'n at one end projecting outward from the side of the latch, asshown in Fig. 4. The parallel ends of the spring enw gage the bifurcatedend of the hook B in such a manner that the spring normallypresses thelatch forward as required to en gage the tongue f of the part A2.

The loop n is protected by a lateral projection fn integral with the endportion of the part A2, so that extraneous objects will not come incontact therewith, but it can readily be engaged by a persons thumb andthe latch thereby pressed backward to disengage it from the tongue f asrequired to unlock the fastening when hames are connected and fixed on acollar by means of my hanne-fastener.

It is obvious that when two haines are drawn together by means of mydevice the part A2 will be readily locked fast to the bifurcated end ofthe hook B by simply pressing the overlying end portions together, sothat the tongue f will slide down over the inclined face of the latch 7Land slip under the shoulder h. The spring 7s allows the latch to bepressed backward sufiicientlyfor the purpose, and after the tongue isbelow the plane of the shoulder 71, the latch and spriu g will resumetheir normal positions.

I claim as my inventionl. In a haine-fastener of the class described, ametal strap havin g a lever provided with a hook at one end andadjustably connected as shown, a bifurcated hook at one end and a matingmetal strap having projections at its ends adapted to overlie theparallel end portions of the bifurcated hook and a tongue in a planebelow the said projections adapted to engage a latch, and a latchpivoted to :lie hook to project between the parallel end portions ofsaid hook and also between said projections on the end of the strap, andprovided with a projection to engage said tongue` arranged and combinedin the manner set foiiiii for the purposes stated.

2. In a hame-fastener a metal strap A having a hook, B, bifurcated atits end portions. a mating metal strap A2 pivoted to the strap A andhaving projections d, d, at its free eiiu to overlie the bifurcated endportions of said hook and a tongue fin a plane below said projections aspring-actuated latch 7i, having i. projection 71, at its lower end toengage the inside of said strap A and a shoulder 7L at its top portionto engage the said tongue f aiiii a slotted lever A3 adj ustablyconnected with the strap A, all arranged and combined to oii- 4 erate inthe manner set forth for the purposes stated.

3. In a haine-fastener the latch 7L having` a projection h' and ashoulder 7L, a pin fixed in the central portion of the latch and a loonm extending from one end of the pin, and a wire spring k having coils toenagage the piii and parallel ends to engage the bifurcatcu end of thehook B of a metal strap A, having the slotted lever A3 adj ustablyconnected therewith in combination with said strap an (i hooksubstantially as and for the purposes stated.

OLE C. OLSEN.

Vitiiesses:

J. P. MARRON, L. A. PHELPs.

